Bonnie Jean (BJ) Rounds (nee Alonzo), was born April 17, 1945 in Seattle Washington. There, she met the the love of her life, Bob, who became her husband of 55 years. With daughter Megan in tow, BJ moved to Wausau, Wisconsin to begin a happy new life with him where they raised two more daughters; Gretchen and Heidi.
Bonnie worked in Wausau as a secretary with various employers, most notably (especially for her daughters, who were high-school aged at the time) in the student affairs office at Wausau East High school. In 1996, she and Bob moved to Franklin Tennessee, with Gretchen and Heidi soon to follow. BJ, as Bonnie liked to be called, and Bob continued their journey south in 2014 to the city of Monteagle in the mountains of the Cumberland Plateau, which is where BJ passed away surrounded by Bob and her daughters on April 23, 2024.
Upon moving to Monteagle, BJ bonded with the sisters of the Laureate Alpha Mu Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, making lifelong friends in the process. A creative person, Bonnie enjoyed playing piano along with many other artistic endeavors such as macrame, painting, and stained glass before settling into jewelry, which she sold at local art fairs and online through the name, Adornments by BJ.
BJ was a friendly, compassionate and loving woman with a very big heart. She was the kind of person who could make friends while waiting in line at the grocery store. But she was also known to be a strong-willed firecracker when the mood struck, which she lovingly passed on to her daughters. The combination made her memorable, admirable, and even more lovable.
She was an amazing wife, mother, grandma, great-grandma, sister and friend. In addition to her three daughters (Megan, Gretchen and Heidi), BJ leaves behind her loving husband Bob, older sister Eloise, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, faithful favorite howling partner dog Henry, as well as many friends and acquaintances whose hearts she touched. She will be sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you simply do something nice for a stranger or someone less fortunate in BJ’s memory.
